Partners
by radioellie
Summary: Juliet and Carlton. THIS IS A LASSIET ROMANCE. Takes place after Mr. Yin Presents.
1. It's Ok Not To Be Ok

Juliet's time was running out. She could feel it. Just like she felt Yin's hands tie the rope that held her to the clock tower. Her mind tried to form what was left of a goodbye to the world- remember the people who made her life what it was. She kept trying to think of the faces of all the people who she'd never see again. But there was only one person she could think of. Carlton. She knew he shouldn't blame himself for her death, but he would. That's just who he is. He was the best partner she'd ever had. As the clock behind her ticked away the seconds of her life, she left her mind to stay on Carlton.

As she sat there, she swore she heard Carlton's voice. She didn't move. She knew it was too late, that he wouldn't be here. It was her mind letting her here his voice one more time. It was almost as if she could feel him with her. She heard another voice, too. But she couldn't place it. There was a gunshot and then the ticking stopped. Was she dead? Had her time being stuck to the clock tower run out? All she did was close her eyes and wait.

After being taken from the side of the tower, Juliet realized that she wasn't dead. The chief came up to the roof and explained that Carlton shot his gun to stop the clock hand from hitting the ropes that held her. Carlton had actually come. He saved her. Juliet didn't see him when she was safe, he was forced to give his statement to the chief. Someone had come up to Juliet, but she wasn't paying attention to him. He tried to get a statement or something from her, but she turned away. This man wouldn't stop bugging her. Once he saw, Carlton pushed aside the man and went to Juliet.

"Juliet..."

"I'm fine" She stuttered out. He kept trying to calm her down, so she just kept repeating. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm-" A sob escaped, and that was it. Juliet crumbed into a hug. Carlton put his hands on her back and held her like that. She kept crying, knowing this was the only place she felt safe. Carlton kept as calm as he could, but seeing Juliet like this broke him.

After all of her tears ran dry, Juliet let go of her partner. His deep blue eyes looked into hers, saying all that she needed to hear, that she was safe. Without protest, Carlton led Juliet to his car and drove her to his house. He knew that she wouldn't be able to be alone tonight, and she knew it too. He led her into his house and locked the door behind them.

"I'll make us some tea, Juliet." Carlton sat her down on the couch and left for the kitchen. She felt comforted by the way he was using her first name. He came back into the room a few minutes later, saying the water was boiling.

"Is it ok?" Juliet asked.

"Is what ok?" Carlton sat on the couch next to her, putting an arm behind her back.

"Me feeling like this." Juliet said.

"Of course," he hesitated, "I mean, this was very traumatic and its normal-" he cut himself off, not wanting to sound like she was just another person who went through a traumatic incident. "Juliet, it's ok not to be ok. It's ok to cry and crying doesn't mean you're not strong. You've been strong enough. Now you need to let it all out to feel better."

Juliet's eyes filled with tears. When she looked into Carlton's eyes, the tears spilled over. He wiped them away with his finger. In almost a whisper, she said, "Thank you." Then, for the second time that day, she sobbed into his chest, his arms wrapped around her back. He pulled her close, knowing she needed someone to protect her.

Juliet woke up with a blanket wrapped around her and a pillow tucked under her head. She looked around and saw she was on Carlton's couch, where she fell asleep in his arms. "Carlton?" She asked in a tiny voice. The tall detective came out of the kitchen.

"Juliet?" He asked, "You're up?"

"Yeah, what time is it?"

He checked his watch, "Only 1 a.m., you've been out for about an hour. Your tea is on the counter in here, would you like me to bring it in?"

"Yes." She answered as loudly as she could, but even that was barely up to her normal volume.

He came in wearing pajama pants and a blue shirt, holding a mug out to Juliet. She took it and sipped the tea very slowly.

"You should try to sleep, you need some rest." He said, voice filling with concern.

"I can't." She went on to explain through more tears, "Every time I close my eyes I see-"

"You don't need to say Juliet. I'm here." Carlton put his arms around her.

"It's ok not to be ok, right?" Juliet asked.

"Yes. But I'll always be here to help make you better." Carlton assured her. He tightened his arms around her, needing the safety of the hug as well. He thought back to the ride to the clock tower. It was the worst time of his life. He was a wreck, barely able to see through the tears in his eyes. But he drove there, well over the speed limit and brushed the tears aside. That wasn't the time for crying- it was the time for action. This was the time for crying. He knew he shouldn't let Juliet see him cry, but the tears were overflowing. Juliet felt the tear fall on her shoulder and looked up to see her partners blue eyes filled.

"Are you ok?" Juliet asked.

"Of course. You're safe now." Carlton said. He knew better but went on, "I couldn't even think of what would've happened if Guster and I hadn't gotten there in-in t-t-time." This was the first time Juliet had seen her partner cry. She moved her hands to go around his neck. They were there for each other now and that's what mattered.

This was the first time they each saw each other sob and loose control of their emotions. And they both knew that that was ok. It's ok for them not to be ok.


	2. Origami and Loyalty

**Hey guys! I hope you like chapter. This takes place a few weeks before ****_Romeo and Juliet and Juliet, _****I hope you like it!**

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Juliet stared at her ceiling, wide awake. It was 3 a.m. and she knew she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. She got up and started to wander around her house, wishing she was still at Carlton's. She stayed there for 2 days after he saved her on the clock tower. While she was there, she felt safe. Even on the second day the nightmares somehow disappeared. But, now that she was back to her house, the nightmares were never far away. That's why she wasn't sleeping. She was too afraid.

Two days ago, when she got back to her house, she called the chief and requested time off from the force. She was going to go to work at City Hall. Chief Vick agreed with no doubt that O'Hara needed the time to get better. She was supposed to start in two days and knew that would be better. No aimlessly wondering about her house for hours, trying not to remember everything. Going back to work was what she needed, even f it was just going through paperwork.

Carlton was also awake at 3 a.m. that night. He wasn't sure why exactly he couldn't sleep, but he knew it was because of Juliet. He was so worried about her and he knew that she wasn't asleep either. After pacing through his house twice, he decided to call her and ease the worrying. Of course, if she was asleep, he'd be disturbing her and he never would do that.

_Do it Lassiter, she needs you._

_No, she needs sleep more._

He made up his mind and crawled back into bed, eyes open for the rest of the night. He couldn't call Juliet and risk waking her up. He wouldn't do something like that to her.

Juliet had been on her couch, curled into a little ball for four hours. She just stared at the blank TV. Thank goodness she was going back to work in one day, she couldn't take the silence anymore. It was noon and she had little appetite so she stayed settled on the couch, finally willing herself to turn the TV on and fill a fraction of the silence. As soon as she did that, the doorbell rang. She got up slowly and looked out her window first. She saw Carlton's car, but the fear in her made her believe it was a trap.

"Carlton?" Juliet shakily whispered.

"Yeah, it's me."

Juliet sighed with relief, but still was hesitant to open the door. She just unlocked it and told him to come in.

He greeted her with a warm hug, making her feel safe again. "How are you doing partner?" He asked, his tone full of worry.

"Ok," she lied.

"Really?"

"No. But I'll be fine." She said. Not trying to sound rude, she added, "Why are you here?"

He held up a bag and told her, "I know you probably aren't hungry, but I brought you some soup." He set it down on her table and led her to the couch, sitting down at the same time as her.

"Thank you. Maybe I'll have some later." She said trying to convince herself she would actually do that.

"How did you sleep last night?" He asked, noting the dark circles under her eyes.

"Not good." She responded.

"Yeah, me either. I was going to call you and see how you were at around 3, but I was afraid to disturb you if you were sleeping." He said.

"No, please call whenever you can't sleep. You would never disturb me." She said with a faint smile. Things were better already.

"Ok, I might just take you up on that offer tonight, you know." He said, his blue eyes full of happiness.

"I hope so," she looked down, twisting a hair tie that was on her wrist.

Carlton took note of that and said, "You know, you should do something to keep busy. Like origami or something."

She had to laugh at that, "I don't even know how to make a paper airplane!"

Carlton took a piece of paper from her desk in the back of the room and cut it to make a perfect square. "Here, watch me." His long fingers folded and twisted the paper into different shapes. Juliet watched as if hypnotized by watching him. When he was done, a paper rose was held up to her.

"I didn't know you could do that." Juliet stated.

"I learned when I was about 14. I've been doing it ever since as a way to relieve stress." He shrugged.

Juliet's eyes filled with excitement, leaving the past forgotten, "Help me make one?"

"Sure," he said and got more paper. He guided her hands across the paper and helped her crease the edges just folded. She smiled victoriously as they finished another rose.

"Thank you, Carlton." She said.

"Anytime."

After that, she happily agreed to eat lunch with him.

"How long will you be gone?" He asked as they sipped their soups.

"I don't know yet, a month? I'm gonna go to work at the courthouse then. I start in one day." She said.

"Well, don't think you can escape me for that month. I'll take you to lunch everyday. Just like always partner." He smiled.

"Yeah, of course. But won't you have a temporary partner then?" She asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"Uh, no. I told the chief I wouldn't stand having another partner." He answered.

"Why not?" She asked.

He shrugged and responded, "Partners are loyal. And besides, its better if not everyone has to put up with me the way you do."

"I don't put up with you. I enjoy being with you. Besides, I've been the more annoying one lately."

"No you haven't," he stated.

After a bit longer of talking, he left for a crime scene. Right before opening the door, he said, "I'll pick you up at the courthouse tomorrow at 12 for lunch." Then, he walked out.

Juliet spent the rest of her day making origami, still feeling Carlton's hands on hers.


	3. Back to Work

**Ok so… spoilers for **_**Romeo and Juliet and Juliet**_**. I have the whole story line laid out for this, so it may be a bit short. Please leave reviews. Sorry, this chapter is pretty bad, I've been writing it over a few weeks. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Psych **_**or any of it's characters.**

**Sorry I haven't uploaded to this story in a while, but I'm just getting back from vacation and I wrote there, but wasn't posting because of bad internet. **

As Juliet filed papers at the courthouse, she thought a lot about Lassiter. for the past week she has been here, Carlton has been so kind with her. Everyday he took her to lunch and was the one to start conversation. Usually it was about her, but she learned a lot about him, too. Yesterday, he told her that he started listening to music by The Script. She was touched by this because she was the one who suggested their music to him. She was also surprised because she told him about them about a year ago. When they were partners, he never shared as much as she did. She was finding out so much about the real Carlton and she didn't want to loose that. While she was thinking about this, Juliet realized two things.

1. She didn't want to go back to work in fear of loosing this side of Carlton he so very rarely showed.

2. She was standing at the filing cabinet holding the papers for 10 minutes like an idiot.

"Are you ready for lunch Juliet?" Carlton asked, as he approached her desk.

"Sure. Where at?" Juliet asked with a smile.

"Its a surprise." Carlton had genuine happiness filling his bright blue eyes.

Juliet looked at him questioningly and then shrugged. Lassiter drove the two to a small italian cafe, far from the SBPD.

"So, Lassiter," Juliet started, "Why the wonderful surprise?"

Carlton hesitated, "Well, I wanted to ask you about work."

"Oh." Juliet could almost feel Carlton's wonderful personality disappearing before her eyes.

"Yeah, I know you are on leave. And I'm not going to pressure you or anything, but I miss you, partner." Carlton said.

"I miss you, too." Juliet sighed. It was the truth. She missed having all that time with him, even if it wasn't his secret, kind personality.

"Can you- I mean... when are you planning on coming back?" Carlton asked.

"I don't know. It's really complicated." Juliet said. Then, in her head she added, _If you only knew the real reason I'm not coming back yet._

"How are you feeling?" Carlton was being his very caring self again. And Juliet struggled not to reach over and touch his arm.

"I'm better," She said truthfully about the Yin situation, "Being back at some kind of job gets my mind off of things during the day. And well, I have origami to keep me busy at night." She did do origami a lot, but she thought about Carlton even more. Just this new Carlton was so... prefect. He is so much kinder and more caring. And even though he is insecure off the field, he isn't cocky like he is at work.

"So, where does that leave you?" Carlton asked.

"In the courthouse," Juliet sighed. It was the only way to make sure that this friendship would stay on such a good level. "I can't go back yet."

Carlton nodded, defeated. "Ok. But I expect this to mean more dinners and lunches together. I need my partner somewhere in my life." He gave her a crooked smile.

"I think I can agree to that." Juliet knew that she would gladly welcome him into her life farther.

…

Juliet was at her desk again in the courthouse 2 weeks later. Shawn had already come in asking her about a counterfeit coin for a case. As he was on his way out, Carlton had come in.

They hard been spending lunches and weekends together for the past few weeks, and Juliet couldn't be happier. She felt as though this out of work relationship worked for them. They were best friends and that pleased Juliet so much. But, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she liked him. This Lassiter was so wonderful. He was more open, caring, and considerate.

She knew now that she was delaying going back to work, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want Carlton to revert to his original self with her. And now, with his holding a case file, looking at Spencer with rage, she knew he would do just as she feared. He was already addressing her as O'Hara, seeing as he wasn't here to pick her up for lunch.

"Carlton," she finally said, "I'm not back yet. I can't help you with this case. You are a brilliant detective. You can solve it."

"O'Hara, you're missing out. This is a case you should be on. You should come back." He said. That was when she shooed him away. He didn't even come back for lunch. Things were going back to normal. She just wished they didn't have to.

Later on in the week, the chief came to Juliet talking about delaying going back to work.

"O'Hara, just come back as soon as you can." Juliet nodded swiftly. The chief finally said exactly what she was thinking, wishing Juliet would come back already, "Why are you delaying so much? The therapist you were required to see said you would be fine to go back even last week. It's not because of Yin, is it?"

Juliet decided to be as honest as possible, "No chief, it isn't,"

"Is it Detective Lassiter? He's been wanting you back for quite some time." She said.

Juliet nodded very slowly. "Yes, it's Carlton. But its just- just me being stupid." She whispered, breathlessly.

"Is this a personal matter that will cause my two best detectives to not be able to work together?" The chief asked warily.

"No… it's just… ever since I've been gone, he's been so… different. Good different. Like a whole other person who only saves his annoying qualities for work. And I don't want to loose the friendship we've gained since this whole thing happened with Yin. It's like I've been missing something my whole life that I didn't know I needed until it was found. And now, I need THIS Carlton in my life." Juliet stared into the chief's eyes, silently begging for help.

"Carlton is very different out of work? Well, that's a relief. But I know what you mean, I remember from our softball games. He is much… kinder… off the field. Just make sure you spend time with him outside of work, too." The chief said. Then, in a lower voice, she added, "And I of course do not promote inter office relationships, but if that is to come out of this… relationship… I see no reason to keep you two apart.

…

Juliet was back on the force after helping Carlton and Psych finish the case they had previously been working on. She saved Shawn from another too frequent near death experience.

Carlton had been treating her as any other time as they were on duty- as a co worker. However, they still had yet to get a new case. They had just been working on paper work for the past 2 days.

Juliet looked over to Lassiter, sitting at his desk typing, then to the chief. The chief pointed towards Lassiter, silently telling Juliet to talk to him. She took the chief's advice.

"Carlton?" Juliet asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute."

Carlton nodded, concern filling his eyes as he followed her into the Records Room."O'Hara, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering if you'd like to go to dinner tonight? I thought it might be nice…." She hadn't even hesitated in saying it, but now she worried that he'd get the wrong idea and think it was about business. She added, "Nothing about work, just talking. Like we have been all month."

Carlton nodded, "Of course. I'll make some dinner and you can come over at 8."

Juliet agreed and they went back to their desks. She really wished that dinner would be with the Carlton she loved.


	4. Date Night

**Author's Note: I wrote this a while ago so I just have this chapter and the last one ready to upload. I hope you like the chapter. Please review. **

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Juliet checked the clock in her car as she drove down toward's Carlton's street. She had another 15 minutes before she was supposed to meet him at his house, so she figured she should stop somewhere to bring him something. Sure, she was the one who suggested dinner, but he was the one to invite her over and make the said dinner. It would be logical to get him something. Besides, it would be nice to know if something she gave him could bring a smile to that face,

As Juliet drove past Carlton's street she found a small music store. She pulled into the parking lot and went inside. The store had rows and rows full of CDs- every genre imaginable. Juliet didn't even need to think about what CD to get Lassiter. She searched through the isles until she found the CD she was looking for. _Science and Faith _by The Script. She knew he had been listening to their music but also knew that Lassiter wasn't the kind of guy who would go out of his way to buy something for himself. Even if he did have any of these songs anyways on his iPod, it still would be nice to have a hard copy.

Juliet arrived a few minutes later at Carlton's door, just on time. She parked her car in his driveway, walking slowly to the front door with the CD in her hands. She knew this night would show if things changed or not. Juliet just hoped that Carlton would still be the guy she loved. She reached the door, knocking swiftly, knowing that he would answer as soon as he heard it.

"Juliet. You look lovely." Carlton said, his eyes a breathtaking blue.

"Thanks, Carlton. You look great, too." He was wearing a light blue sweater and khaki pants. The blue of the sweeter made his eyes even more irresistible. Carlton gestured her inside and Juliet looked around. He had lit a bunch of candles on his coffee table, surrounding her with the scent of vanilla. "Wow, this looks amazing." Juliet said.

Carlton looked down at the ground, the flames of the candles highlighting the blush growing on his cheeks, "It's no big deal. Let's go into the kitchen. Dinner is just about ready."

Juliet stopped him, "First, here you go." She gave him the CD explaining, "It's The Script's second album. I figured you wouldn't go out of your way to buy something like that for yourself s I just wanted to give you that…" She trailed off, worrying he might not like it.

"You know me so well. This is so great. Thank you, Juliet." Carlton hugged Juliet, taking the CD from her hands. He set it on top of a speaker which was right next to his TV. Then, he gestured to the kitchen, "Shall we?"

Juliet enjoyed the dinner with Carlton. She finally knew that they were going to be ok. This wonderful personality wasn't going to go out of reach because they were back at work together. Juliet went over all of the things they talked about in her mind as Carlton started clearing the table. They had talked about everything from The Script to the past, and somehow landed on relationships.

"So, are you ever going to give in to Shawn's relentless flirting? I don't know of he'll ever stop." Carlton smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Um, no. He's a great friend, you know? But, I need someone more… mature for me. I don't know…" Juliet trailed off, wishing she could just say she needed someone more like him.

"Well of all the lessons I've taught you as a detective… I'm glad you learned to not go after someone like Spencer." Carlton burst into laughter and Juliet joined him.

"Yes, you definitely influenced that decision…" Crap, Juliet thought. That almost gave away her feelings for him. She looked to Carlton to see if he picked up on anything. But his eyes showed no confusion, just happiness. She decided to change the subject, "So, what about you?"

"What about me?" He asked.

"Any love in your life?" Juliet asks. She really didn't want to know just how nonexistent her chances were with him, but curiosity got the best of her.

"C'mon, O'Hara, there isn't really anything there…" Lassiter said, looking down.

Juliet noticed how he used her last name. During work, there wasn't anything unusual about that. But here, at his house, it almost felt like it was a shield, protecting him from revealing something. Like he was trying to keep something from her, make things less personal… She called him on it, "Why'd you say O'Hara?"

"I always do-"

"No," she cut him off, "You only say that at work."

"Force of habit?" He had a guilty look on his face.

"Carlton… please be honest with me." Juliet said.

Carlton almost whispered, "I can't."

"What?" Juliet breathed.

"Just… agh. Ok, Juliet? You want to know the truth? If I have feelings for someone?" Carlton asked. He walked over to where she was. Then, he took her hand and Juliet stood up, inches away from him. He tilted her head back and kissed her. He kissed her gently, yet hastily. Trying to get all of the emotion he could into that kiss. All of the years of waiting into the kiss. Juliet loved it, but suddenly, he pulled away. "There's your answer." He said.

"Carlton…" Juliet started,but she couldn't say anything. Lassiter just walked away, into the kitchen.

"No, O'Hara, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. We're both tired and…. you know what? How about we call it a night." There it was. The shield. Carlton led Juliet to the door.

"No, Carlton. I-" Juliet started. Carlton raised his hand.

"It's ok, Juliet. Just forget about it. I'll see you tomorrow." Carlton said, looking down. He opened the door, he gestured for her to leave. He wouldn't let her speak. He was too afraid she was going to say something bad.

"No-" Juliet tried to say something but she can tell she wouldn't get anywhere. Even if she kissed him again, Carlton wouldn't believe she actually meant something by it, he would blame it on the wine they had at dinner, or the shock at him revealing his feelings. She'd need to let him know how she felt another day, she had to. Reluctantly, she left.

…

The next few days at the office, Carlton barely looked at Juliet. He spent as much time as he could away from her. Every time she'd try to talk to him, he wouldn't let her. He always made sure they weren't alone.

One day, it was her, Carlton, and Dobson in the conference room, discussing a lead. While Carlton was on the phone, Juliet asked Dobson to leave for a few minutes. Dobson agreed, wanting a break from Lassiter's attitude. Carlton was off the phone quickly and grew worried.

"Where's Dobson?"

"He left. Carlton, I need to talk to you about the other night. The kiss. Carlton I really-"

"Listen, O'Hara," Carlton said, lying smoothly, "I didn't mean to kiss you. I was caught in the moment. I don't have feelings for you. You don't have to worry about that." With that, Carlton left he room.

Sadly, Juliet believed what he said, feeling him liking her was too good to be true. And now, they were pretty much guaranteed to be nothing more than partners. The chief knocked on the door, ruining Juliet's train of thought.

"O'Hara, something wrong?"

"No chief," Juliet said, blinking back tears, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Does this have anything to do with Lassiter storming out of the building?" The chief said.

"I don't know." Juliet lied. She figured he was trying to get away from her to avoid embarrassment.

The chief sighed, obviously not buying it. "Ok. But, I don't want whatever happened to affect casework, clear?"

Juliet nodded, and the chief turned and walked out.

…

Carlton paced outside the building. Why had he lied to her? He was just so scared that she was going to say that she was horrified he thought of her that way. He never should have kissed her! Carlton kept thinking to himself the words he said, trying his best to believe them. The kiss meant nothing.

Nothing.

If it didn't mean anything to her, it can mean nothing to you. He tried to believe it, but he couldn't. He was too hopelessly in love with Juliet.


	5. For the First Time

**So, here's the final chapter. Sorry its pretty rushed, I'm working on a lot of other fanfics and I didn't want to leave this one uncompleted. Please review and let me know if you want me to write some more lassiets. I'll probably mainly do one shots. I hope you like the ending. **

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It had been a month since Carlton said that the kiss meant nothing, and Juliet was getting more and more depressed. Everyday, she could feel Carlton grow more and more distant. She just couldn't take it. The only thing that kept her sane was the fact that she was going to The Script's concert on Saturday. She was going with one of her old friends from Miami, Jade, who was going to fly down here to see them with her. That was all Juliet had to look forward to.

Juliet was filling in paperwork at her desk when the phone rang. She answered it. "Detective O'Hara."

"Hi, it's me, Jade."

"Hi…Whats up?" Juliet asked.

"Well… bad news, I can't come over there for the concert." Jade paused. "I fell and broke my leg. It would be really difficult for me to get there."

"Oh, ok." Juliet said sadly.

"But don't let the ticket go to waste. I gotta go. Talk to you soon." Jade said.

"Ok, bye," Juliet said as she hung up. Now what was she going to do? Then an idea hit her. Juliet walked over to Carlton's desk and said, "Carlton? A word?"

Lassiter nervously glanced up at her, then agreed and followed her to the observation room.

Juliet started, "Ok, so I can't take this anymore. I want us to be friends, ok? Now, I have an extra ticket to The Script concert this weekend because my friend bailed on me. Well, she broke her leg… but still. Now, please go with me." Juliet looked to him with hopeful eyes. She really wanted to go with him in hopes it would bring him back to her. Even if she never got to be with him, she could still be his best friend.

"I don't know, O'Hara. I'm sure you'd rather take someone else." Carlton said.

"No. I want to go with you. Please. You are the only other person I know who really likes there music and would actually appreciate the concert the way I do."

Carlton looked into her eyes for a few minutes, finally saying, "Alright. What time."

Juliet smiled at him and told him the details. She'd pick him up on Saturday , at 6. That was two days away. Juliet couldn't believe how excited she got at that. Maybe things would get better…

…

On Saturday, Juliet was waiting outside Carlton's door wearing a peach colored shirt, skinny jeans, and converse shoes. She had the _Science and Faith_ album playing on her iPod, hooked up to her car speakers. She knocked on his door, flashing back to the last time she was here. Maybe she would get her chance to tell him how she felt. Even if he didn't feel the same way… he should still know.

Carlton answered the door, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt with a black jacket. He looked so casual yet so handsome at the same time. Juliet didn't remark upon how he looked, afraid to scare him away. She simply said, "Shall we?"

They drove to the venue in silence, soaking in the lyrics they listened to. Juliet hoped the band would play her favorite song, _ For the First Time._ She wondered which song Carlton liked best, and if he'd sing along, or just sit there at the concert.

"What song do you like the best off the album?" She asked.

"Probably _For the First Time._ It just is nice. Like there's a second chance to get where you can just start over and its wonderful. What about you?" His answer delighted Juliet.

"That's my favorite song, too." She smiled at him. The rest of the ride was silent, but it was more comfortable. Finally, they arrived.

The show was almost over, and Carlton and Juliet were energized by the screaming crowds. They had felt comfortable enough to sing the lyrics along with the crowd as the band performed.

Danny O'Donoghue (lead singer of The Script) started to talk. "I see a lot of you in the crowd in love. Thats a really beautiful thing. This next ing goes out to all of those people trying to get that second chance."

_For the First Time _started to play and Juliet looked to Carlton. He met her gaze and she moved closer to him. Now was the best time to tell him how she felt. She moved closer and closer until she was right next to him. She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "I just need to tell you something." She waited for him to nod, making sure he could hear her. Then she took a deep breath and said, "When you kissed me, that made me so happy. It was everything I've ever wanted. Even though you said it meant nothing, well it didn't to me. I just needed to tell you." Juliet waited for a response but it never came. She turned back to the band, in time to hear the chorus.

Carlton leaned down to whisper to her, "It meant everything to me. I was just afraid it meant nothing for you. I'm sorry. I love you." Carlton pulled her close and kissed her.

_Smiling but we're close to tears_

_Even after all these years_

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting_

_For the First Time _

…

Juliet watched as her husband rocked their newborn to sleep. Juliet and Carlton had gotten married just a year ago, which was one year after the concert they went to. And now they had their little girl, Danielle. Juliet smiled at the father and daughter.

"What?" Carlton said, smiling back.

"Nothing," Juliet replied, "I just really love you."


End file.
